Friction-clutch.



No. 730,962. PATBNTED JUNBIG, 1903..

J. o. POTTER & J. JOHNSTON.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLIOATION IILED 00125. 1900.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' no MODEL.

No. 730,962. PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903,

J. c. POTTER. & J. JOHNSTON.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

Arm-mum! nun 001'. a, 1900.

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NE NORRIS PETERS CO MOTDvLITNU- NASH No. 730,962. PATENTBD JUNE 16, 1903. J. c. POTTER & J. JOHNSTON.

FRIGTIO-N GLUTGH.

I APPLIOATIOK IILED 001. 5. 1900.

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50) 730,962. Patented June 16, 1903- NITED STATES .ATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. POTTER AND JOHN JOHNSTON, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE'ISLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE POTTER AND JOHNSTON MACHINE COMPANY, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 0. 730,962, dated June 16, 1903.

Application filed October 5,1900. Serial No. 32,072. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/007%: Similar marks of reference indicate corre- Be it known that we, JAMES C. POTTER, a sponding parts in all the figures. citizen of the United States, and JOHN JOHN- In the drawings, a a and a indicate shafts STON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, used for the transmission of power, a a cirboth residing at Pawtucket, in the county of cular disk having the hub a formed integral Providence and State of Rhode Island, have therewith, and a a radial waysin the disk 5; invented a new and useful Improvement in a in which the clamping-arms a are oper- Friction-Clutches, of which the following is a ated by the screw-spindles a. The parts of specification. A the clamping arm a in screw thread con- In the transmission of power shafts supnection with the screw-spindle a fit the rear ported in hangers are connected together end part of the way a beyond the ribs of, which to end by couplings secured to the adjacent part is of U-shaped cross-section with a slidends of the shafting, and for the purpose of: ing fit. transmitting power from the line of shafting As the traverse of the clamping-arms in 15 to machines pulleys are secured to the shafts, friction-clutches is limited to the mere clampwhich pulleys in many instances are loose ing and unclamping, parts of the ribs a, may on the shaft and require to be secured by be'omitted to facilitate the insertion of the clutches. enlarged part of the clamping-arms from the The invention has reference to an improvefront of the disk a 20 ment in the construction of friction-clutches In the preferred construction, as shown in whereby shafts may be connected at their Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the clamping-arms a are ends or loose pulleys connected to the shaft provided with the segmental brackets a in and readily disconnected; and it consists in the ends of which a suitable bolster a is sethe peculiar and novel construction whereby cured. The portion of the arm 0. extending 25 the clamping arms are operated by-screwinto the Ways a is divided into an upper and spindles through rack bars engaging with a lower part, between which the pinion a is pinions on the screw-spindles and connected secured to the screw-spindle a. The screw to a shipper-sleeve, as will be more fully set on the upper part of the screw-spindle is of forth hereinafter. larger diameter than the screw on the lower 0 The object of the invention is to more separt of the spindle, but of the same pitch.

curely couple the ends of shafts together or The disk a is provided with the annular ring loose pulleys with the shaft and to permit a, which is secured when the clamping-arms the uncoupling of the shafts or pulleys with- (1, with the screw-spindles a, are screwed out the use of tools. down so that the end bearing a of the screw- 35 Figure 1 is a side view of our improved spindles is below the inner surface of the anfriction-clutchr Fig. 2 is a transverse secnular ring a. They are nowturned to'bring tional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longituthe shoulder of the bearing a on aline with dinal sectional view of part of the clutch on the inner surface of the annular ring a. The a radial line through the center of one of the screw-plugs e are screwed in the annular 40 three clamping-arms. Fig. 4 is a sectional ring, so as to bear on the shoulders, and then view showing the rack bars in connection secured against rotation by the screw a. with the pinion on the screw operating one The rack-bars b engage with the pinion (0 of the clamping-arms. Fig. 5 isa perspective and slide in the ways 1). The rack-bars are view of a thrust block preferably used in connected, by means of the pins 19*, with the 5 coupling two ends of shafts together. Fig. 6 shipper-sleeve b which slides on the outer is a longitudinal sectional view of a form of surface of the hub (t and is operated by a 5 t friction clutch containing our invention, shipper-lever.

showing modifications in the details of con- The operating devices forming the clutch truction in connectionwith a loose pulley. mechanism are shown in Fig. 1 connected to the shaft c. The thrust-block 0, preferably of hardened steel, is placed between the ends of the adjacent shafts at and a with the screwspindles a bearing on the three flattened sides of the thrust-block. On the end of the shaft a, the pulley (l is secured in the usual manner by means of a groove and spline ora set-screw. The inner surface of the rim d extends over the brackets a and receives the radial thrust of the three clamping-arms of, to which the segmental brackets a are secured, and thereby connects the clutch mechanism with the pulley d and the shaft a with the shaft a. (Z is a panel closing an opening in the web of the pulley d, by which access may be gained To the brackets a for adjustment or repair.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 6 the clutch-operating mechanism is simplified and the cost materially reduced, while the operations and the operative elements are the same. In Fig. 6 the clutch-operating mech-; anism is shown in connection with aloose pulley, both on one length of shafting; but the pulley may be secured to the end of one; shaft and the clutch to the adjacent end of' another shaft similarly to the construction" shown in Fig. 4. The screw-spindle a bears directly on the shaft and has a screw-threadg of uniform diameter. The pinion 0. is nearthe end of the screw-spindle (L6, and the clamping-arm a is formed integral with thel bracket a which bears on the inner surface of the loose pulley. The diameter of the; hub 01. is much less than itisin the preferred construction.

Having thus described our invention, we: claim as new and desire to secure by Letters, Patent 1. In a friction-clutch, the combination of a shaft, a clutch member thereon, clamping-v arms to engage such member, a radially-dis, posed screw for each clampingarm, bearings that engage the screw at opposite ends by which it is supported against endwise move-- ment, and means for revolving said screw,

substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a friction-clutch, the combination of a shaft, a clutch member thereon, clampingarms to engage such member, a radially-disposed screw for each clamping-arm, bearings that engage the screw at opposite ends by which it is supported against endwise movement, and a rack and pinion for each screw, the pinion being mounted on the screw in a space between two parts of the arm, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a friction-clutch, the combination of alining shafts, a clutch member on one of the shafts, a clutch member on the other, comprising radiaIly-disposed operating-screws, and a thrust-block for the screws placed between the ends of the shafts, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4.. In a friction-clutch, the combination of alinin shafts .a clutch member on one of the shafts, clamping-arms carried by the other shaft, a radially-disposed operating-screw for each clamping-arm, and a thrust-block for the screws placed between the ends of the shafts, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a friction-clutch, the combination of a shaft, a pulley thereon, clamping-arms to engage thepulley, a radially-disposed screw engaging each arm, a rack and pinion for each screw, and means for supporting the screws against endwise movement comprising a centrally-placed thrust-block, against which the ends of the screws abut, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES C. POTTER. JOHN JOHNSTON.

\Vitnesscs: J. A. MILLER, J r.,

A. E. HAGERTY. 

